What does « To bury / To conceal » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To bury / To conceal (دس) in the Quran, with 1 verse in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

دس

To bury / To conceal

Root: د - س

Creed (aqida) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To bury / To conceal

Al-dass: inserting something into another with constraint.

One says 'dassa al-shay' fî al-turâb' (he buried the thing in earth).

Allah says: 'Or bury it (yadussuhu) in the ground' (An-Nahl: 59).

Arabs sometimes buried their daughters alive.

To bury / To conceal in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah An-Nahl : 59 Meccan

﴿يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ﴾

He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.